PhD student : integrating indoor air quality and overheating in LCA of buildings

International Society for Industrial Ecology; Versailles; Sur place; EUR 40 000 - 60 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Une organisation de recherche dynamique recherche un étudiant en doctorat pour intégrer la qualité de l'air intérieur et la surchauffe dans l'évaluation du cycle de vie des bâtiments. Le candidat idéal aura une expertise en énergétiques des bâtiments et une expérience en Python. Ce projet fait partie d'un programme de recherche interdisciplinaire reconnu et facilite des interactions avec d'autres écoles d'ingénieurs.

Qualifications

• Diplôme de Master ou expérience pertinente en énergétiques des bâtiments.
• Compétences en programmation, notamment en Python.
• Anglais courant à l'écrit et à l'oral.

Responsabilités

• Développer des méthodes d'intégration de la qualité de l'air et de la surchauffe dans l'évaluation du cycle de vie des bâtiments.
• Calculer les années de vie ajustées en fonction de l'incapacité (DALYs) pour des scénarios de référence.

Connaissances

Expertise en énergétiques des bâtiments

Connaissance de l'évaluation du cycle de vie

Programmation en Python

Analyse de données quantitatives

Compétences en communication

Formation

Master pertinent

Description du poste

PhD student: integrating indoor air quality and overheating in LCA of buildings

Duration and starting date: Fixed-term contract, 36 months starting in October

PhD subject: Accounting for indoor air quality and overheating in the life cycle assessment of buildings

We spend over 80% of our time indoors, and many pollutants that affect our health are emitted into indoor air. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency, duration, and intensity of heatwaves, potentially impacting the health of building occupants. Building eco-design tools based on life cycle assessment (LCA) have existed for many years and serve as decision-making aids in early design phases to reduce environmental impacts. However, these tools currently do not account for health impacts related to indoor air quality and overheating.

The thesis aims to develop methods for integrating indoor air quality and overheating into the life cycle assessment of buildings. The goal is to calculate disability-adjusted life years lost (DALYs) — a metric used in LCA — for reference scenarios of building use, specifically concerning air quality and overheating. The interaction between air quality and overheating, such as air chemistry, could also be explored.

Who we are looking for

Ideally, you

• Have building energetics expertise, demonstrated through a relevant master's degree or working experience
• Have knowledge of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• Are proficient in computer programming, particularly in Python
• Are a collaborative team player with strong interdisciplinary work skills
• Demonstrate advanced quantitative data analysis and modeling skills
• Possess excellent communication and presentation skills
• Are proficient in spoken and written English

Working environment

The Center for Energy Efficiency of Systems (CES) is a research centre at MINES Paris, recognized as a key player in French research on energy efficiency and future energy systems. It has around 70 members and several dozen students (Master’s and post-master’s students) across Paris and Satory.

Our team in ecodesign and thermal simulation of buildings pioneered the application of LCA to buildings in the 1980s and developed ecodesign tools at both building and district scales. We contribute to developing a building LCA tool distributed to professionals.

We are coordinating the Lab Recherche Environnement (https://www.lab-recherche-environnement.org/en/), a research program resulting from a partnership between VINCI and three ParisTech engineering schools (ENPC and AgroParisTech), supporting interdisciplinary research on the environmental performance of buildings, neighborhoods, and infrastructures. The PhD is part of this program and involves interactions with other schools.